| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: change which he hardly felt or realized. Even in resuming his old
life there was no longer the same vitality, the same zest, the
same enjoyment in all these things. It seemed as though they were
no longer a part of himself. The savor had gone from them, and
by-and-by it was pleasanter to sit looking on at the sports and
the games of the younger lads than to take active part in them.
These three years of his life that had thus passed had been very
full; full mostly of work, grinding and monotonous; of training
dull, dry, laborious. For Sir James Lee was a taskmaster as hard
as iron and seemingly as cold as a stone. For two, perhaps for
three, weeks Myles entered into his new exercises with all the
Men of Iron |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: marched to encounter the barbarian.[91] And still, at the sacred
festival to-day, it is agreed that no one among your ancestors has
ever been more fitted to discharge the priestly office than yourself;
yours a person the goodliest to behold in all our city, and a frame
adapted to undergo great toils.
[88] Cf. "Mem." III. vii.
[89] i.e. Demeter and Core. Callias (see "Hell." VI. l.c.) was
dadouchos (or torch-holder) in the mysteries.
[90] Or, "whose rites date back to Erechtheus." Cf. Plat. "Theag."
122.
[91] At Salamis. The tale is told by Herod. viii. 65, and Plut.
The Symposium |
